NOVPUB
Chapter 358: Chapter 268 I Want to Make a Move (5200 words)
𝘯𝑜𝑣𝑝𝑢𝘣.𝑐𝑜𝑚
Friday afternoon, the last class.
Gao Heshuai was thrilled about his new car, which led him to lecture less efficiently than usual—much slower, in fact.
The class dragged on for an extra ten minutes and finally concluded amid numerous malicious curses from countless students.
Gao Heshuai left the classroom and saw Yan Tianpeng from Class 9 standing in the hallway, greeting him with a smile.
Gao Heshuai’s smile seemed always to carry a hint of sarcasm, which sent a chill down Yan Tianpeng’s spine.
’Why is he looking at me?’ Yan Tianpeng wondered, baffled.
Before he could think further, Zhang Chi emerged from the classroom.
Yan Tianpeng came over, slung his arm around Zhang Chi’s shoulder, and walked him over to a corner, his expression troubled,
"Brother Zhang, I have to go home first today. I’ll leave the router-buying to you."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Chi was not pleased,
"What do you mean?"
The two had each scraped together 300 yuan to start a business, agreeing to buy a router together in the city.
"I can’t help it; there really is something up at home," Yan Tianpeng said.
Zhang Chi replied, "Fine, give me the money, and I’ll buy yours too."
"He believed they could buy more together and bargain with the owner that way."
Yan Tianpeng’s gaze flickered upon hearing this; he didn’t trust Zhang Chi and worried he might pocket some of the money.
So he made up an excuse, saying vaguely,
"That won’t work, Brother Zhang; the money is from my family, and I need to take it home."
Zhang Chi asked, "Can you bring it back? Don’t end up being the only one putting in money; I won’t split the profits with you."
Yan Tianpeng assured, "I’ll definitely bring it when school starts. I’ll come early on Sunday afternoon, so it won’t delay the router purchase."
Zhang Chi thought it was acceptable. The router idea was Yan Tianpeng’s proposal. He hadn’t thought too much about it before, but now, considering it, if Yan Tianpeng wasn’t part of the deal, he could earn even more.
"Alright, I’ll go buy it today," Zhang Chi didn’t want to delay any longer.
The sooner he bought the router, the sooner he could make big profits, and the sooner he could pay off his debts.
His current 300-yuan seed money was borrowed, and unlike the class monitor’s, it had to be repaid promptly.
While they were talking, Ma Shicheng and Wang Longlong were hurrying outside.
Zhang Chi saw Ma Shicheng and said,
"Going out to play games?"
"Yes," Ma Shicheng responded before asking, "Want to join?"
Zhang Chi smiled and replied, "No, no."
In his eyes, Ma Shicheng was wasting time playing games, while he was building his own business during that same time.
That’s what’s called being ambitious – he was an ambitious man! Zhang Chi chose to struggle for the time being. Once he made big money, he’d go have a good time.
After chatting briefly, Ma Shicheng was ready to leave.
But then he heard Zhang Chi suddenly call out, "Longlong, I want to ask you something."
Wang Longlong stopped in his tracks, "What is it?"
Zhang Chi stood at the corner and gestured for him to come over.
Wang Longlong looked puzzled.
Zhang Chi said, "Your router seems pretty good, where did you buy it? I’m planning to check out the computer city in town."
Wang Longlong often hung out with Brother Ma and had a say when it came to electronics.
Wang Longlong sincerely suggested, "Don’t go to the computer city; the routers there are a rip-off. Just order online, and you can save at least ten yuan on the same model."
He wasn’t speaking nonsense; this advice came from the online shopping experiences of Brother Ma, Guo Kunnan, and Dan Kaiquan.
Zhang Chi countered after hearing this,
"Save ten yuan? That’s unlikely, right? The ones sold online are probably fakes."
Wang Longlong insisted, "You won’t get fakes if you choose the right shop, and routers aren’t that expensive to begin with, so who would bother to fake them?"
Zhang Chi argued, "I called the stores in town, and they said they have new routers that are faster and good quality, and cheaper, too."
Wang Longlong retorted, "Would any shopkeeper talk down their own merchandise?"
Zhang Chi chuckled, "So you think you know better than the shopkeepers?"
Damn it, the normally docile Wang Longlong was infuriated by Zhang Chi’s questioning. Just as he was about to say that although the shopkeepers might be knowledgeable, would they let you know that?
Ma Shicheng, at that moment, urged him on,
"Let’s go, let’s go, I’ve reserved a machine."
Wang Longlong didn’t say another word and left with Brother Ma.
Downstairs, Wang Longlong cursed,
"What’s with Zhang Chi? I kindly tell him it’s cheaper online, and he argues with me."
Ma Shicheng said, "Don’t bother arguing with an idiot."
...
Most of the students from Class 8 had left.
Even Chen Siyu, who usually liked to dawdle, went out with her sister Chen Siqing.
Xue Yuantong started to head out; it was time for another Friday exploration of Snack Street.
However, today, Xue Yuantong wasn’t in high spirits; she clutched Jiang Ning’s sleeve as if afraid he’d run away.
"Jiang Ning, are you leaving tonight?"
"Yeah, I’m going out on a trip, back tomorrow," Jiang Ning said, as he was off to the northernmost city to personally scout for materials to forge "Flying Sword."
Xue Yuantong wasn’t feeling happy, following behind him with a sulky air.
Jiang Ning, with his keen observation, certainly noticed her mood.
So he reassured her, "I’m taking the 9 p.m. high-speed train. Go to sleep early tonight; you never know, I might return early tomorrow morning."
Xue Yuantong said, "I stay up late every night."
In his heart, Jiang Ning noted her clinginess and pondered for a moment before saying,
"What, you’re not used to me being away?"
Xue Yuantong perked up immediately, huffing,
"How could that be? If you’re not at home, all of mom’s cooking is mine."
She had said it as a retort to Jiang Ning, but upon reflection, Xue Yuantong actually found the prospect quite pleasant – all the food would be hers.
Seeing her no longer downcast, Jiang Ning felt a little relieved.
He looked down the main campus road. Thanks to Gao Heshuai’s ten-minute delay, they missed the after-school rush, and the students on campus were sparse.
Jiang Ning pushed his bike forward, occasionally passing students speeding by on their own bicycles.
